Wireless communication device capable of utilizing multiple radio access technologies

ABSTRACT

A wireless communication device is disclosed that is capable of utilizing multiple radio access technologies (RATs) in various coordinated ways so as to optimize, and enhance the versatility, of the device&#39;s communication capabilities. One or more RATs may be selected for use, either alone or in cooperation with each other, based on various conditions, such as channel conditions, traffic, data type, and priority. When conditions change, the originally-selected communication scheme may no longer be preferred. Consequently, the device can initiate a handover to another communication scheme. Transmitters corresponding to RATs that are not currently selected are controlled to enter a low-power state in order to conserve power. However, in some circumstances, the device may utilize both RATs simultaneously. For example, redundant communications can be made over both RATs for error-reduction or other purposes, and partial communications can be made over multiple RATs for increased speed and bandwidth, among other reasons.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication 61/562,196 entitled “Fourth Generation (4G) CommunicationsSystems,” filed Nov. 21, 2011, which is incorporated by reference hereinin its entirety.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The invention relates to wireless communications, and more specificallyto a wireless communication device that is capable of utilizing morethan one radio access technology.

BACKGROUND Related Art

Wireless communication devices, such as cellular telephones to providean example, are becoming commonplace in both personal and commercialsettings. The wireless communication devices provide users with accessto all kinds of information, as well as the ability to communicate withother such devices across large distances. For example, a user canaccess the internet through an internet browser on the device, downloadminiature applications (e.g., “apps”) from a digital marketplace, sendand receive emails, or make telephone calls using a voice over internetprotocol (VoIP). Consequently, wireless communication devices provideusers with significant mobility, while allowing them to remain“connected” to communication channels and information.

Wireless communication devices communicate with one or more otherwireless communication devices or wireless access points to send andreceive data. Typically, a first wireless communication device generatesand transmits a radio frequency signal modulated with encodedinformation. This radio frequency signal is transmitted into a wirelessenvironment and is received by a second wireless communication device.The second wireless communication device demodulates and decodes thereceived signal to obtain the information. The second wirelesscommunication device may then respond in a similar manner. The wirelesscommunication devices can communicate with each other or with accesspoints using any well-known modulation scheme, including simpleamplitude modulation (AM), simple frequency modulation (FM), quadratureamplitude modulation (QAM), phase shift keying (PSK), quadrature phaseshift keying (QPSK), and/or orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing(OFDM), as well as any other communication scheme that is now, or willbe, known.

Different wireless communication devices may communicate using any oneof different radio access technologies (RATs), including WiMAX, LTE, 4G,3G, and WiFi, among others. However, because each wireless communicationdevice is typically capable of communicating using only one of the RATs,the device is significantly restricted in its versatility, and may beconfined to a communication path of lower quality or having lowerbandwidth.

Alternatively, some devices may be capable of communicating usingmultiple RATs. However, each RAT is typically only used whencommunicating with a specific device using the same RAT. For example, alaptop computer may include both WiFi and 3G capabilities, but only usesits WiFi to communicate with a home network and uses its 3G tocommunicate with a base station within a cellular network. Similarly, amobile phone may include both LTE and 3G capabilities, but alwayscommunicates over LTE when available, and only communicates over 3G whenLTE is unavailable.

Current communication standards (e.g., LTE) provide little if anysupport for cooperation between RATs. For example, such communicationstandards may allow for full duplex RAT to RAT handovers. In suchcurrent standards, more complex RAT to RAT interaction is not defined orsupported, because, among other reasons, conventional communicationflows via different RATs are generally considered to be unrelated. Suchstandards also define various communication techniques such aschannelization, channel bonding, cross channel encoding, etc. for useentirely within a single RAT.

Regardless of whether the device includes only a single RAT or iscapable of communicating using multiple RATs, traditional wirelesscommunication devices are severely restricted in their abilities tocommunicate with other wireless communication devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS/FIGURES

Exemplary embodiments are described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical orfunctionally similar elements. Additionally, the left most digit(s) of areference number identifies the drawing in which the reference numberfirst appears.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary wirelesscommunication environment;

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary wirelesscommunication device that is implemented as part of the wirelesscommunication environment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary multi-RATcoordination module that may be implemented as part of the wirelesscommunication device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary wirelesscommunication system;

FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram of exemplary uplink and downlinkcommunication paths that may be implemented by the wirelesscommunication system;

FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary wirelesscommunication system; and

FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary method for optimizingRAT usage in a wireless communication device.

Embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following Detailed Description refers to accompanying drawings toillustrate exemplary embodiments. References in the Detailed Descriptionto “one exemplary embodiment,” “an exemplary embodiment,” etc., indicatethat the exemplary embodiment described may include a particularfeature, structure, or characteristic, but every exemplary embodimentmay not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring tothe same exemplary embodiment. Further, when a particular feature,structure, or characteristic is described in connection with anexemplary embodiment, it is within the knowledge of those skilled in therelevant art(s) to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic inconnection with other exemplary embodiments whether or not explicitlydescribed.

The exemplary embodiments described herein are provided for illustrativepurposes, and are not limiting. Other embodiments are possible, andmodifications may be made to the exemplary embodiments within the spiritand scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the Detailed Descriptionis not meant to be limiting. Rather, the scope of the present disclosureis defined only in accordance with the following claims and theirequivalents.

Embodiments may be implemented in hardware (e.g., circuits), firmware,software, or any combination thereof. Embodiments may also beimplemented as instructions stored on a machine-readable medium, whichmay be read and executed by one or more processors. A machine-readablemedium may include any mechanism for storing information in a formreadable by a machine (e.g., a computing device). For example, amachine-readable medium may include read only memory (ROM); randomaccess memory (RAM); magnetic disk storage media; optical storage media;flash memory devices. Further, firmware, software, routines,instructions may be described herein as performing certain actions.However, it should be appreciated that such descriptions are merely forconvenience and that such actions in fact result from computing devices,processors, controllers, or other devices executing the firmware,software, routines, instructions, etc.

For purposes of this discussion, the term “module” shall be understoodto include at least one of software, firmware, and hardware (such as oneor more circuit, microchip, or device, or any combination thereof), andany combination thereof. In addition, it will be understood that eachmodule may include one, or more than one, component within an actualdevice, and each component that forms a part of the described module mayfunction either cooperatively or independently of any other componentforming a part of the module. Conversely, multiple modules describedherein may represent a single component within an actual device.Further, components within a module may be in a single device ordistributed among multiple devices in a wired or wireless manner.

The following Detailed Description of the exemplary embodiments will sofully reveal their general nature that others can, by applying knowledgeof those skilled in relevant art(s), readily modify and/or adapt forvarious applications such exemplary embodiments, without undueexperimentation, without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent disclosure. Therefore, such adaptations and modifications areintended to be within the meaning and plurality of equivalents of theexemplary embodiments based upon the teaching and guidance presentedherein. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminologyherein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation, suchthat the terminology or phraseology of the present specification is tobe interpreted by those skilled in relevant art(s) in light of theteachings herein.

Although the description of the embodiments is to be described in termsof wireless communication (specifically cellular communication), thoseskilled in the relevant art(s) will recognize that the embodiments maybe applicable to other communications that use wired or other wirelesscommunication methods without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent disclosure.

An Exemplary Wireless Communications Environment

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a wireless communicationenvironment 100 according to an exemplary embodiment. The wirelesscommunication environment 100 provides wireless communication ofinformation, such as one or more commands and/or data, between wirelesscommunication devices. The wireless communication devices may each beimplemented as a standalone or a discrete device, such as a mobiletelephone, or may be incorporated within or coupled to anotherelectrical device or host device, such as a portable computing device, acamera, or a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit or another computingdevice such as a personal digital assistant, a video gaming device, alaptop, a desktop computer, or a tablet, a computer peripheral such as aprinter or a portable audio and/or video player to provide some examplesand/or any other suitable electronic device that will be apparent tothose skilled in the relevant art(s) without departing from the spiritand scope of the present disclosure.

The exemplary wireless communication environment 100 includes a firstwireless communication device 110 and a second wireless communicationdevice 150. The first wireless communication device 110 may represent anexemplary embodiment of a user equipment and the second wirelesscommunication device 150 may represent an exemplary embodiment of asecond user equipment or a base station within a cellular communicationsnetwork.

The first wireless communication device 110 transmits a first wirelesssignal 115 toward the second wireless communication device 150 using anyacceptable modulation scheme. The second wireless communication device150 receives the first wireless signal 115. The second wirelesscommunication device 150 processes the received first communicationsignal and, if necessary, transmits a second wireless signal 155 back tothe first wireless communication device 110. In this manner, the firstwireless communication device 110 and the second wireless communicationdevice 150 exchange information (“communicate”) with one another.

At least the first wireless communication device 110 is capable of usingone or more of multiple RATs. Specifically, the first wirelesscommunication device 110 includes a multi-RAT coordination module 125that controls communications over the multiple RATs. The multi-RATcoordination module 125 may select an individual RAT based on variousconditions, such as channel conditions, traffic, data type, and datapriority, may be capable of changing a RAT selection as those conditionschange, and may be capable of coordinating communications between RATsas an application may warrant. These aspects, as well as additionalaspects of the first wireless communication device 110 and the multi-RATcoordination module 125 are discussed in further detail in the followingdescriptions.

An Exemplary Wireless Communication Device

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a wireless communication device200 that is implemented as part of the wireless communicationenvironment 100 according to an exemplary embodiment. The wirelesscommunication device 200 includes a first RAT module 210, a second RATmodule 220, and a multi-RAT coordination module 250, and may representan exemplary embodiment of the first wireless communication device 110.It should be understood, however, that the wireless communication device200 can include more than two RAT modules.

The wireless communication device 200 includes a controller module 230that performs most of the functions within the wireless communicationdevice 200, including background processing, signal processing, andcontrol. The controller module 230 is connected to each of the first RATmodule 210 and the second RAT module 220 through the multi-RATcoordination module 250. The first RAT module 210 receives signals from,and transmits signals to, the wireless communication environment 100using a first RAT via an antenna 201. The second RAT module 220 receivessignals from, and transmits signals to, the wireless communicationenvironment 100 using a second RAT via an antenna 202. Those skilled inthe relevant art(s) will recognize that the antenna 201 and the antenna202 may each include multiple antennas, or may together constitute asingle antenna shared between the first RAT module 210 and the secondRAT module 220. The wireless communication device 200 may alsooptionally include a wired module 240 for communicating with anotherdevice over a wired connection.

The first RAT module 210 includes a first receiver module 212 forreceiving signals from the wireless communication environment 100, and afirst transmitter module 214 for transmitting signals to the wirelesscommunication environment 100 using a first RAT. The second RAT module220 includes a second receiver module 222 for receiving signals from thewireless communication environment 100, and a second transmitter module224 for transmitting signals to the wireless communication environment100 using a second RAT.

Upon receipt of signals from the wireless communication environment 100,the first RAT module 210, the second RAT module 220 and/or the wiredmodule 240 perform front-end processing on the received signals andforward the received signals to the controller module 230 via themulti-RAT coordination module 250. The front-end processing may includedemodulation and decoding, among other operations. The controller module230 may control the operation of, and generate signals for transmissionby, one or more of the first RAT module 210, the second RAT module 220,the wired module 240, and the multi-RAT coordination module 250.

The multi-RAT coordination module 250 controls coordinatedcommunications of the first RAT module 210 and the second RAT module220. For example, the multi-RAT coordination module 250 may select oneor more of the RAT modules for communication, initiate full/half duplexhandovers, control signaling via an upstream/downstream direction in afirst RAT to service a downstream/upstream direction in a second RAT,control power usage of the RAT modules, coordinate cross-RAT channelbonding/encoding, among others, as will be discussed in further detailbelow.

An Exemplary Multi-RAT Coordination Module

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a multi-RAT coordination module250 that may be implemented by the wireless communication device 200according to an exemplary embodiment. The multi-RAT coordination module(MRCM) 300 includes at least one of an MRCM controller module 310, anI/O module 320, a power control module 330, a selection module 340, anda reconstruction module 350, depending on application, and may representan exemplary embodiment of the multi-RAT coordination module 250 of thewireless communication device 200.

The MRCM controller module 310 controls general operations and signalrouting within the MRCM 300. The MRCM controller module 310 can performgeneral signal analyses/operations, and initiate operations andcalculations by the remaining modules within the MRCM 300. The MRCMcontroller module 310 communicates with the first RAT module 210 and thesecond RAT module 220 of the wireless communication device 200 via theI/O module.

The MRCM 300 includes the power control module 330, selection module 340and reconstruction module 350 that help facilitate coordinated multi-RATcommunications. For example, the selection module 340 determines, basedon several factors, whether to communicate using only the first RATmodule 210, only the second RAT module 220, or both the first RAT module210 and the second RAT module 220 in either a half-duplex or full-duplexmode. The selection module 340 also determines whether to perform ahandover from a current configuration to an alternative configuration.

In addition, the power control module 330 controls the power consumptionof the first RAT module 210 and the second RAT module 220, and thereconstruction module 350 reconstructs a signal from received portionsof that signal.

Further details regarding the various components of the MRCM 300, andits various configurations will be discussed in detail below withrespect to various configurations of the wireless communication device200.

Exemplary Configurations of the Wireless Communication Device

Utilizing the functionality of the MRCM 250, the wireless communicationdevice 200 is capable of coordinating communication using its multipleRATs to provide significant communication versatility, and manycorresponding benefits. Several different exemplary configurations ofthe wireless communication device 200, as well their correspondingbenefits, will now be discussed with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

Power Control

During communication, one or more of the first RAT module 210 and thesecond RAT module 220 may not be in use. This may occur when the MRCM250 selects a communication configuration that uses only one of thefirst RAT 210 or the second RAT, or selects a communicationconfiguration in which one or more of the first RAT 210 and the secondRAT 220 have periods of inactivity, among others. During such periods ofinactivity, the inactive RAT module(s) unnecessarily consume power.Therefore, the power control module 330 of the MRCM 250 controls theinactive RAT module to be in a low-power state during the period ofinactivity.

Waking Up

In typical wireless communication devices, a radio module mayoccasionally enter a low-power state, such as a sleep mode. In order todetermine when the radio module must wake, the radio module isperiodically set to a high-power state (i.e., waked) in order to syncwith a beacon and determine whether any messages designated for thedevice are pending. This obviously consumes significant power andcomputing.

Radio receivers, such as the first receiver module 212 and the secondreceiver module 222 consume relatively small amounts of power comparedwith other radio components, and therefore may be controlled to remainon during inactive periods. Transmitters, on the other hand, consumesignificant amounts of power.

Therefore, one option for determining when the inactive RAT module mustwake is for the power control module 330 to set only the firsttransmitter module 214 and/or the second transmitter module 224 to alow-power state when its corresponding RAT module is not in use. In thismanner, the receiver module of the inactive RAT module can remain on inorder to monitor incoming signals from other wireless communicationdevices so as to determine when the corresponding transmitter module isneeded.

Alternatively, provided that the wireless communication device 200 iscommunicating using one of the RAT modules, it can use that RAT moduleand the MRCM 250 to determine when to wake the inactive RAT module.

As one example, the wireless communication device 200 is currentlycommunicating using the first RAT module 210, and the power controlmodule 330 has set the second RAT module 220, including the secondtransmitter module 224 and/or the second receiver module 222, to be in alow-power state. The MRCM 250 then controls the first RAT module 210 torequest and receive control signals designated for the second RAT module220 in a half-duplex path using the second RAT. This may requirecoordination with a serving base station having similar capabilities asthe wireless communication device 200, but will have significantadvantages over typical methods.

Many other control processing may also be available using thisconfiguration. For example, account information, sign-in and accessgrants for one RAT could be processed using the other RAT. Such accessprocessing could be required on a half-duplex basis, and handled via oneor more current or alternate RAT half-duplex pathways.

Establish Communication

As discussed above, both the first receiver module 212 and the secondreceiver module 222 operate to receive signals from the wirelesscommunication environment 100. Once the first receiver module 212 or thesecond receiver module 222 receive signals from the wirelesscommunication environment 100, the controller module 230 processes thereceived signals. The MRCM 250 may also control the first transmittermodule 314 and/or the second transmitter module 324 to enter a low powerstate in accordance with the received signals.

For example, the I/O module 320 receives the incoming signals from oneof the RAT modules and forwards the received signals to the MRCMcontroller module 310. If the first receiver module 312 receives thesignal, the MRCM controller module 310 instructs the power controlmodule 330 to set the second transmitter module 224 to a low-powerstate. If at any time, the second receiver module 222 receives a signal,the MRCM controller module 310 detects the recipient of the signal andinstructs the power control module 330 to set the second transmittermodule 224 to a high-power state. Further power control can be performedin accordance with the above.

In one example, because the first receiver module 212 received theinitial signals using the first RAT, the controller module 230 generatesresponse signals to be transmitted by the first transmitter module 214using the first RAT. The first transmitter module 214 then transmits theresponse signals to the other wireless communication device using thefirst RAT. In this manner, the two wireless communication devices canestablish communication.

During the initial establishment of communication, the wirelesscommunication devices share information regarding their communicationcapabilities. For example, the wireless communication device 200indicates in its response that it can fully communicate over the firstRAT and/or the second RAT. The wireless communication device 200 alsorequests the communication capabilities of the other wirelesscommunication device. If the other wireless communication deviceresponds that it is only capable of communicating over the first RAT, oronly over the first RAT and a third RAT (unsupported by the wirelesscommunication device 200), then the selection module 340 selects onlythe first RAT for further communication. However, for purposes of thisdiscussion, it is presumed that the other wireless communication deviceis capable of communicating over the first RAT and the second RAT.

During the initiation of communication, the selection module 340 of theMRCM 250 may also determine the RAT by which to communicate. Thisdecision may be made based on several criteria, including RAT traffic,channel conditions, SNR, etc. After the selection module 340 hasselected the RAT to be used by the devices, signals received from thecontroller module 230 by the MRCM 250 are forwarded by the I/O module320 to the corresponding transmitter, and the power control module 330powers down other transmitters that are not selected or not in use. Forexample, if the devices agreed to communicate using the second RAT inthe above example, the I/O module 320 sends outgoing signals to thesecond transmitter module 224 and the power control module 330 sets thefirst transmitter module 214 to a low-power state.

Once the devices have completed the initiation, the wirelesscommunication device 200 begins sending and receiving informationsignals with the other wireless communication device using the desiredRAT. In this manner, the devices can communicate with each other over apreferred RAT without consuming significant additional amounts of power.In addition, the devices can power down other RATs which may be lesspower efficient than the preferred RAT.

Coordinated Multi-RAT Communication

As discussed above, the selection module 340 of the MRCM 250 may selectone of the first RAT or the second RAT for communications based onvarious selection parameters. However, under many circumstances, it maybe beneficial not to limit communication to a single RAT, but rather toutilize both RATs in either a half-duplex or full-duplex manner in orderto enhance communications, as will be discussed in further detail below.

1. Half-Duplex Communication

In a half-duplex configuration, the wireless communication device 200transmits signals using only one of the RATs, and receives signals usingat least one receiver of the other RAT.

The selection module 340 may determine to communicate with anotherwireless communication device using a half-duplex communicationconfiguration during communication initiation based on several factors.

For example, based on signals received from the other wirelesscommunication device, the selection module 340 may determine that thefirst RAT has a strong downlink channel, but a poor uplink channel,whereas the second RAT has a strong uplink channel, but a poor downlinkchannel. In this scenario, the selection module 340 may set the firstRAT module 210 for downlink communications and set the second RAT module220 for uplink communications, provided that the other wirelesscommunication device is capable of communicating in this manner.

Based on this configuration, the MRCM controller module 310 instructsthe power control module 330 to set the first transmitter module 214 andthe second receiver module 222 to be in a low-power state, and the firstreceiver module 212 and the second transmitter module 224 to be in ahigh-power state. In this manner, the wireless communication device 200may receive signals via the first receiver module 212, and transmitsignals via the second transmitter module 224.

For example, the selection module 340 may select half-duplex RATcommunication in consideration of power or cost savings. As examples,the selection module 340 may determine transmission over the first RATto cost significant power compared to the second RAT, or may determinethe reception of signals over the second RAT to be pricey compared withthe first RAT.

The selection module 340 may also select half-duplex communication basedon data type of information to be exchanged between the wirelesscommunication device 200 and the other wireless communication device.For example, VoIP data requires specific QoS (quality of service)standards that may require transmission over a particular RAT that isless efficient for other data. Consequently, the selection module 340may select half-duplex communication in order to transmit data over theVoIP-preferred RAT, and receive data using a more efficient RAT.

In addition, the selection module 340 may select half-duplexcommunication based on whether a first RAT backhaul is common or bridgedwith a second RAT backhaul. For example, if a common or bridged backhaulexists for the first and second RATs, information can easily beexchanged between the two RATs, which permits more flexibility intransmission schemes, as discussed in further detail below.

The wireless communication devices may also or alternatively choose touse mixed communication based on numerous additional/different criteria.

2. Full-Duplex Communication

In a full-duplex configuration, the selection module 340 utilize bothRAT transmitters for communication in a coordinated shared orsimultaneous manner.

The selection module 340 may select full-duplex communication for manyof the same reasons it may select half-duplex communication, discussedabove. In the selection based on data type, for example, the selectionmodule 340 can select the first RAT for VoIP transmission and selectsthe second RAT for transmission of the non-VoIP information. Otherreasons for specifically selecting to communicate using full-duplex RATcommunication are discussed in detail below.

Increased Bandwidth

By operating multiple transmitters simultaneously, the wirelesscommunication device 200 is capable of transmitting data using each ofthe operating transmitters. Consequently, transmission throughput andbandwidth of the wireless communication device 200 can be increased. Thereceive bandwidth/throughput can also be increased by simultaneouslyoperating multiple receivers, which applies both to full-duplex RATcommunication and half-duplex RAT communication.

Redundancy

Both the first transmitter module 214 and the second transmitter module224 can also be used together for redundancy purposes. For example, theselection module 340 may determine, based on one or more factors, thatthe likelihood of receiving accurate signals is low. Consequently, theselection module 340 can set the wireless communication device 200 tosend and receive the same signals using both the first RAT and thesecond RAT for purposes of redundancy.

Redundancy may comprise sending identical copies of the same data overboth a first communication channel of the first RAT and a secondcommunication channel of the second RAT. Alternatively, it may compriseany of a plurality of known coding approaches, wherein such first andsecond channel data can be used in combination to support a more robustoverall flow while still providing support for redundancy and errorrecovery. With such coding approach, when one channel's impairmentintroduces an error in the data on one RAT's channel, the data is muchmore likely to be fully recoverable via the other RAT's channel or viaboth channels.

Specifically, when a signal is to be sent from the wirelesscommunication device 200 to the other wireless communication device, theMRCM controller module 310 instructs the power control module 330 tomaintain both the first transmitter module 214 and the secondtransmitter module 224 in high-power states. The MRCM controller module310 then forwards signals generated by the controller module 230 to boththe first transmitter module 214 and the second transmitter module 224,both of which transmit the signal to the wireless communicationenvironment 100.

Conversely, during this redundancy mode, when a signal is received fromthe other wireless communication device, the signal is received by thefirst receiver module 212 using the first RAT, and is received by thesecond receiver module 222 using the second RAT. After front-endprocessing, the received signals are forwarded to the MRCM 250.

The MRCM 250 receives the signals at its I/O module 320, which forwardsthe received signals to the MRCM controller module 310. Once the signalsare received by the MRCM controller module 310, the MRCM controllermodule identifies the signals as redundancy signals and forwards them tothe reconstruction module 350 for further processing. The reconstructionmodule 350 correlates the received signals and performs bit-correctionprocessing in order to reconstruct (as closely as possible) the originalsignal sent from the other device. From this correlation, thereconstruction module 350 is able to more accurately predict error bits,and perform bit-correction on the received signal. In this manner, theaccuracy of communicated signals can be enhanced.

After the reconstruction module 350 has reconstructed the signal, itforwards the reconstructed signal back to the MRCM controller module 310along with a success flag. If the success flag indicates that the signalwas successfully reconstructed (using any signal check method that isnow, or will be known) the MRCM controller module 310 forwards thereconstructed signal to the I/O module 320 for forwarding to thecontroller module 230. If, on the other hand, the success flag indicatesthat the signal was unable to be successfully reconstructed, the MRCMcontroller module 310 issues a RESEND request to the I/O module 320 fortransmission to the other device via one or more of the RAT modules. TheRESEND request can be an instruction signal, a data signal, a NACK(negative-acknowledgement) signal, or simply a lack of an ACK(acknowledgement) signal.

Cross-RAT Channel Bonding

In a second scenario, both RATs may be utilized to transmit portions ofa signal simultaneously. This may be done in order to increasethroughput and transmission speed of signals, or may be chosen based onone or more conditions, such as channel conditions, data type, priority,etc. For example, channel conditions of a current RAT may reveal highdata traffic, which can be avoided through cross-RAT channel bonding, orhigh priority data may be sent over a secondary RAT so as to bypasscommunication backups on a current RAT. The selection module 340 mayselect cross-RAT channel bonding for many alternative/additional reasonsas particular applications may warrant.

For example, presuming that the selection module 340 has selectedcross-RAT channel bonding, the MRCM controller module 310 instructs thepower control module 330 to maintain both the first transmitter module214 and the second transmitter module 224 in high-power states. Thecontroller module 230 generates the signal for transmission, which isreceived by the MRCM 250 at its I/O module 320. The I/O module 320forwards the signal to the MRCM controller module 310. Because thecurrent mode is selected as cross-RAT channel bonding, the MRCMcontroller module 310 then segments the signal into one or more firstRAT portions and one or more second RAT portions for transmission overthe first RAT and second RAT, respectively, based on a reconstructionscheme (discussed below).

The MRCM controller module 310 then forwards the portions of the signalto the corresponding RAT modules via the I/O module 320. In particular,the MRCM controller module 310 forwards the one or more portions of thesignal designated for the first RAT to the first RAT module 210 via theI/O module 320 and forwards the one or more portions of the signaldesignated for the second RAT to the second RAT module 220 via the I/Omodule 320. The first transmitter module 214 then transmits its signalportions to the wireless communication environment 100 using the firstRAT and the second transmitter module 224 transmits its signal portionsto the wireless communication environment 100 using the second RAT.

Similarly, when the wireless communication device 200 receives signalsusing cross-RAT channel bonding, the first receiver module 212 receivesone or more signal portions from the wireless communication environment100 using the first RAT and the second receiver module 222 receives oneor more signal portions from the wireless communication environment 100using the second RAT. After front-end processing, the first receivermodule 212 and the second receiver module 222 forward their respectivesignal portions to the MRCM 250.

The MRCM controller module 310 receives the signals via the I/O module320 and identifies the received signal portions as having been sentusing cross-RAT channel bonding. The MRCM controller module 310 thenforwards the received signal portions to the reconstruction module 350along with a reconstruction scheme that was previously set by thedevices.

For example, in order for the reconstruction module 350 to properlyreconstruct the signal from the received portions, the reconstructionmodule 350 must be made aware of the manner in which the portions weregenerated, herein referred to as a reconstruction scheme. Thereconstruction scheme may be defined in advance (e.g., by standard ornetwork), during device negotiations, or during initiation of cross-RATchannel bonding, as well as at any other suitable time. There arepotentially endless possible reconstruction schemes that may be defined.

As one example, the reconstruction scheme may designate consecutiveportions of the transmitted signal to alternate between the first RATand the second RAT. In this case, the reconstruction module 350reconstructs the signal by interleaving alternating portions of thesignal received by the first receiver module 212 and the second receivermodule 224. Therefore, this configuration provides a simple transmissionscheme that does not require any overhead.

In an alternative reconstruction scheme, each portion may be generatedto contain a consecutively-numbered identification. In this case, thereconstruction module 350 reconstructs the signal by reading theidentification numbers of the received portions and reassembling theportions in numerical order. This configuration provides a particularlyrobust transmission scheme, as it allows the transmitting device toadjust the number of portions transmitted over each RAT as channelconditions change.

As discussed above, there may be several additional/alternativereconstruction schemes that may be devised based on the particularapplication, and the present disclosure should not be limited to onlythe specific schemes referenced above. Once reconstructed, thereconstruction module 350 forwards the reconstructed signal to the MRCMcontroller module 310, which forwards the reconstructed signal to thecontroller module 230 via the I/O module 320.

By performing cross-RAT channel bonding, the wireless communicationdevice 200 is able to potentially increase bandwidth and/or transmissionspeed. Specifically, because the information can be sent in parallelover multiple communication paths, the signal can be transmitted in lesstime, effectively increasing throughput.

Those skilled in the relevant art(s) will recognize that although theabove is described with respect to the wireless communication device200, the same or similar methods can be employed by other wirelesscommunication devices in the communication chain. Further, it will beappreciated that many modifications may be made to the above wirelesscommunication device 200 within the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure. For example, the wireless communication device 200 mayemploy alternative reconstructions schemes, and may include additionalRAT modules, all or some of which may be used in the above communicationscenarios.

Inter-RAT Handover

During communication, the wireless communication device 200 or the otherwireless communication device (e.g., base station) may determine thatthe current communication scheme is unfit, or that an alternativecommunication scheme can better serve the communication needs of thedevices. When this occurs, one of the devices may initiate a “handover”to another mutually supported RAT.

In an example, the wireless communication device 200 communicates withthe other wireless communication device over a first RAT. However, basedon various signals/measurements received by the MRCM 250, the selectionmodule 340 determines that the uplink conditions of the first RAT arepoor, and that the uplink conditions of the second RAT are much better.In this scenario, the wireless communication device 200 may initiate ahandover with the other wireless communication device in order totransfer communications from the first RAT to the second RAT.

The selection module 340 initiates the handover, which causes the MRCM250 to inform the other device that communication will switch. The MRCMcontroller module 310 then begins to cause signals to be transmitted andreceived on the second RAT. In other words, the MRCM controller module310 of the MRCM 250 instructs the power control module 330 to place thesecond transmitter module 224 into a high-power state. The MRCMcontroller module 310 then begins forwarding outgoing signals to thesecond transmitter module 224 for transmission, and receiving signalsprimarily via the second receiver module 222. Once the handover has beenmade, the MRCM controller module 310 instructs the power control module330 to place the first transmitter module 214 into a low-power state.

Although the above example illustrates a possible full-duplex handover,it may also be determined under certain circumstances that a half-duplexhandover will better serve communications. For example, in the abovescenario, the selection module 340 may also determine that the downlinkconditions of the second RAT are extremely poor, and that the downlinkconditions of the first RAT are much better. In this case, the selectionmodule 340 does not select full second RAT communications, but insteadselects the second RAT only for the uplink communications and selectsthe first RAT for downlink communications. Consequently, the wirelesscommunication device 200 informs the other device that uplinktransmissions should be made via the second RAT and that downlinktransmissions should continue to be made via the first RAT. The MRCMcontroller module 310 still instructs the power control module 330 toplace the first transmitter module 214 in a low-power state, as it isnot needed to receive signals.

In the above examples, the wireless communication device 200 notifiesthe other device (e.g., base station) that it will switch communicationschemes. However, in some circumstances it may be possible to forgo thenotification process and instead immediately perform the switch. Inparticular, once the selection module 340 has set a new communicationscheme, the wireless communication device 200 can report the switch tothe base station via the newly-selected RAT.

For example, using the first example above, the selection module 340sets the second RAT for communication. The MRCM controller module 310then instructs the power control module 330 to set the first transmittermodule 214 in a low-power state and forwards outgoing signals to thesecond transmitter module 324 via the I/O module 320. The MRCMcontroller module 310 then generates an notification signals, which ittransmits to the current base station using the second RAT. Using abridged or common backhaul, the base station then uses the receivednotification signal to stop communications using the first RAT andswitching communications to the second RAT.

With the above examples and principles, the wireless communicationdevice becomes extremely versatile with respect to handing over from onecommunication scheme to another. For example, the wireless communicationdevice 200 can effectively switch from any communication scheme thatuses one or more RATs to any other communication scheme that uses one ormore RATs.

Those skilled in the relevant art(s) will recognize that manymodifications are available relating to the handovers discussed above.For example, handovers may be initiated by either the wirelesscommunication device 200 or the other wireless communication device, andmay be initiated based on conditions other than channel conditions, suchas data type, traffic, signal priority, etc., or any combinationthereof. In addition, rather than initiating a full handover, theinitiating device can instead perform a partial handover in order totest the capabilities of the new RAT prior to determining whether tohandover. In other words, the wireless communication device 200 cancommute a small portion of its transmissions to the new RAT in order totest its viability for a full handover.

An Exemplary Wireless Communication System

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of a wireless communication system400 according to an exemplary embodiment. The wireless communicationsystem 400 includes wireless communication devices 410, 420 and 430,each of which may represent an exemplary embodiment of the wirelesscommunication device 200, and may function as either a user device(e.g., a personal wireless device) or a base station.

For purposes of this discussion, the wireless communication device 410will be referred to as a user equipment, the wireless communicationdevice 420 will be referred to as an intermediate node (such as a smallcell router/station or another user equipment), and the wirelesscommunication device 430 will be referred to as a base station. Each ofthe devices may be capable of communicating with one or more of theother devices wirelessly using one or more RAT technologies. Inaddition, the user equipment 410 may be directly connected to theintermediate node 420 via a hardwire link 415.

As shown in FIG. 4, each of the wireless communication devices 410, 420and 430 are capable of both receiving and transmitting on both the firstRAT and the second RAT. In addition, the base station 430 is connectedto a common RAT backhaul 440. In a hierarchical telecommunicationsnetwork, the backhaul portion of the network comprises the intermediatelinks between the core network, or backbone, and the small subnetworksat the “edge” of the entire hierarchical network. One example of abackhaul is a core of a communications company's network that suppliesconnectability to various base stations. The common backhaul 440provides a common support for, or a bridge between, different RATs. Forexample, the backhaul 440 may commonly serve each of the different RATsor provide a link therebetween to allow for cross-communication. Withthis configuration, there are many optional communication pathsavailable for communicating between the user equipment 410 and the basestation 430.

For example, the user equipment 410 can utilize the wired connection 415in a half-duplex or full-duplex manner to transfer information to thebase station 430 via the intermediate node 420. In addition, by usingthe common RAT backhaul 440, information designated for first RATcommunication to the base station 430 can instead be communicated usingthe second RAT. In particular, once the base station 430 receives firstRAT information over the second RAT, the information will nonethelessproceed to the common backhaul 440 for maintaining communication. Usingthe common backhaul 440, the base station 430 could even be notified ofthe receipt of the information to provide for significant communicationversatility.

Communication Paths and Adaptive Migration

FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram of a plurality of downlinkcommunication paths that may be implemented by the wirelesscommunication system 400 according to an exemplary embodiment. Each ofthe connected groups of boxes represents a possible communication pathwithin the wireless communication system 400. The top row ofcommunication paths represents possible downlink communication paths501, whereas the bottom row represents possible uplink communicationpaths 502. When initiating communications or a handover, the devices maychoose one or more downlink paths 501 and one or more uplink paths 502that provide preferred communication.

For example, after analyzing various factors, the devices may determinethat the second downlink path 501 b and the last uplink path 502 h willbest suit their communication needs. As a result, during downlink, thebase station 430 transmits signals directly to the user equipment 410using the first RAT. During uplink, on the other hand, the userequipment 410 transmits a signal to the intermediate node 420 via thehardwire link 415. After receiving the signal from the user equipment410, the intermediate node 420 transmits the signal to the base station430 using the second RAT.

As can be seen from FIG. 5, numerous other combinations of downlink anduplink communication paths are available, and may be selected based onthe needs of the wireless communication devices. This allows for thewireless communication devices to optimize their communication paths soas to provide preferred, or specifically-tailored, communicationperformance.

In addition, during communication, the devices may continue to analyzevarious factors, including channel conditions, power states, loading,noise, etc. in order to determine whether to migrate communications fromthe currently-used paths to alternative paths. The devices may choose toindependently migrate one or both of the uplink and downlink path. Forexample (with reference to the prior example), the user equipment 410and/or the base station 430 may determine based on one or more factorsto switch from the second downlink path 501 b to a more suitabledownlink path and/or switch from the last uplink path 502 h to a moresuitable uplink path.

Performing such migrations during communication provide numerousadvantages to the communication between the devices. In particular,migration can be initiated in order to maintain strong communicationconditions, allow for channel bonding, manage dollar costs associatedwith a RAT, increase bandwidth, reduce power consumption, etc. Byadaptively migrating to different communication paths based on currentconditions and/or communication needs, the devices can optimizecommunication capabilities and performance.

Those skilled in the relevant art(s) will recognize that manymodifications may be made to the wireless communication system 400. Forexample, the system 400 may include more or fewer wireless communicationdevices, and may further include one or more wired-only communicationdevices. Of course, with each additional device, the number ofcommunication paths between the user equipment 410 and the base station430 can increase.

Server

FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of a wireless communication system600 according to an exemplary embodiment. The system 600 may include oneor more base stations 610 and/or one or more user devices 620 that eachmay represent an exemplary wireless communication device 300. The system600 also includes a server 650 wire-connected or wirelessly-connected toat least one base station 610.

Each of the wireless communication devices (base stations 612-618 anduser devices 622-628) within the system 600 has varying communicationcapabilities. For example, base station 612 is capable of fullycommunicating within both the first RAT and the second RAT, whereas basestation 614 is fully capable of communicating using the first RAT, butcan only receive signals using the second RAT. The remaining wirelesscommunication devices have capabilities in accordance with their similarlabels.

Because the base stations 610 and the user devices 620 may each havedifferent capabilities, it may be cumbersome for the wirelesscommunication devices to repeatedly request and obtain capabilityinformation from other such devices, as well as to make channelestimates and path decisions for communications. In addition, managingthe communication can become extremely burdensome for the devices withthe multitude of options available for communication. As such, thesystem 600 includes the server 650 to track, maintain and manage variousinformation relating to the communication between the multiple devices.

Each of the multiple devices 620 and the base stations 610 communicateunderlying information regarding all available RATs (e.g., channel errorconditions, current status, power concerns, dollar costs, loading,signal strengths, alternate pathways, in range alternative connectionnodes and characteristics thereof, etc.) to the server 650 with orwithout recommendations or requests for change. The server 650 evaluatessuch information, requests and recommendations, and, when determined tobe justified or needed, sends commands to selected ones of the multipledevices 620 and the base stations 610 to cause data and/or control flowadaptation or migration.

1. Data Management

The server 650 can be hardwire or wirelessly connected to the basestations 610. When a base station 610 obtains pertinent information, thebase station 610 relays the information to the server 650. Suchinformation may include device capabilities, device locations, deviceranges, channel conditions of the first and second RATs, and activitylevels within the first and second RATs, as well as any otherinformation that may be pertinent within the spirit and scope of thepresent disclosure. The server 650 stores the received information so asto be easily accessed by any of the remaining base stations. Informationcan also be supplied and accessed by user equipment.

Accordingly, rather than repeatedly performing the cumbersome task ofinterrogating devices and scanning channels, the base stations 610 canacquire needed information simply by requesting the information from theserver 650. The base stations 610 will have to acquire the informationthrough other means only when the information is not already stored bythe server, or when the information stored in the server requiresupdating (such as with channel conditions). Consequently, this becomesparticularly useful with respect to device information, which isunlikely to change.

In this manner, needed information can be efficiently accessed withoutduplicate processing. Further, by constantly updating the server 650,the information will remain current, such that base stations 610 and/oruser devices 620 can ensure proper decision-making.

2. Communication Management

In typical communication systems, user devices and/or base stationsmanage the half-duplex, multi-RAT adaptation, associated half-duplexhandover, and cross-RAT control signaling performed duringcommunication. However, relying on the base stations and user devicesfor performing these functions significantly adds to their computingburden and potentially increases their power consumptions. Therefore, byhandling various management functions at the server 650, communicationcan be streamlined and the burden on the base stations and user devicescan be reduced.

In order to facilitate management of the communications within thesystem 600, the server 650 may obtain information relating to each ofthe user devices 620 within its range. Such information may includesignal strength, base station IDs, data volumes, data types, QoS, etc.Alternatively or in addition thereto, the server 650 may obtaininformation relating to each of the base stations 610 within a specifiedarea. Such information may include signal strengths, IDs of underdevices 620 within range, data volume per user device, error rates,loading, etc.

From the obtained information, the server 650 may direct communicationchanges by transmitting instructions to the user devices 620 via one ormore RAT pathway. Similarly, the server 650 may direct handoverinstructions to the corresponding base stations 610 which areresponsible for carrying out such functionality. Using similartechniques, the server 650 can be tasked with managing or assisting inthe management of numerous aspects of communication within the system600, such as those discussed above with respect to the wirelesscommunication device 200.

In one example, the server 650 acquires information relating to each ofthe base stations 610 and each of the user devices 620. From theinformation obtained, the server 650 scans current communication linksbetween the user devices 620 and the base stations 610 in order todetermine whether any changes are needed. During its scan, the server650 may review the signal strengths reported by each of the devices aswell as the channel conditions in the current communication links. Fromthis information, the server determines that the user device 626,currently communicating with base station 612 using only the second RAT,has a poor communication link.

The server 650 reviews the information obtained from the other deviceswithin the system 600 and determines that the base station 616 has astrong first RAT uplink channel and is located close to the user device626. However, because the user device 626 does not have a first RATreceiver, the server 650 also searches its information for a viablesecond RAT downlink channel. Based on its search, the server 650determines the second RAT downlink channel of the base station 616 to bea strong candidate. Consequently, the server 650 issues a handovernotification to the user device 626 to handover uplink communications tothe base station 616 using the first RAT and downlink communications tothe base station 616 using the second RAT.

Many additional scenarios would also benefit from the use of a server650 for managing communication changes. The server 650 could be employedto initiate all types of communication changes, including dictating RATsfor communication, transmission schemes (such as redundancy andcross-RAT channel bonding), and communication path selections, as wellas for monitoring conditions within the system 600 and adjustingcommunication as circumstances may warrant.

Those skilled in the relevant art(s) will recognize that manymodifications may be made to the server within the spirit and scope ofthe present disclosure. For example, the server 650 can operate to fullymanage communications within the system 600, or can share managementresponsibilities with one or more of the devices within the system 600.

An Exemplary Method of Optimizing Radio-Access Technology Usage in aWireless Communication Device

FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram of a method for optimizing RAT usagein a wireless communication device according to an exemplary embodiment.The wireless communication device preferably includes a first RATtransmitter and receiver, and a second RAT transmitter and receiver.

The method begins with the wireless communication device receiving asignal from another wireless communication device within a wirelessnetwork at one or more of its receivers (720). The wirelesscommunication device analyzes one or more communication conditions (730)based on the received signal. The communication conditions may includechannel conditions, data type, data priority, etc., among others withinthe spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Based on the communication conditions, the wireless communication deviceselects a preferred transmitter (e.g., a first RAT transmitter or asecond RAT transmitter) for communicating with the other wirelesscommunication device (740). As discussed above, the wirelesscommunication device need not select only a single transmitter, but canallocate portions of signal transmission to the first RAT transmitterand other portions of the signal transmission to the second RATtransmitter.

Once the RAT(s) has been selected, the wireless communication devicesets all unselected transmitters to a low-power state in order toconserve power (750). The wireless communication device then transmitssignals from the selected transmitter(s) back to the other wirelesscommunication device (760). In this manner, the devices communicate withone another, and the method ends (770).

Those skilled in the relevant art(s) will recognize that the method canadditionally or alternatively include any of the functionality of thewireless communication device 200 discussed above, and the abovedescription of the exemplary method should neither be construed to limitthe method nor the description of the wireless communication device 200.

CONCLUSION

It is to be appreciated that the Detailed Description, and not theAbstract, is intended to be used to interpret the claims. The Abstractmay set forth one or more, but not all exemplary embodiments and thus,is not intended to limit the appended claims in any way.

The embodiments have been described above with the aid of functionalbuilding blocks illustrating the implementation of specified functionsand relationships thereof. The boundaries of these functional buildingblocks have been arbitrarily defined herein for the convenience of thedescription. Alternate boundaries may be defined so long as thespecified functions and relationships thereof are appropriatelyperformed.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s) that variouschanges in form and detail can be made therein without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention. Thus the invention should not belimited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but shouldbe defined only in accordance with the following claims and theirequivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A wireless communication device supported by acommunication architecture, the communication architecture having afirst radio access technology network infrastructure, a second radioaccess technology network infrastructure and a common backhaul pathwaybetween the first radio access technology network infrastructure and thesecond radio access technology network infrastructure, the wirelesscommunication device comprising: a first transmitter module configuredto communicate upstream via the first radio access technology networkinfrastructure; a second transmitter module configured to communicateupstream via the second radio access technology network infrastructure;a first receiver module configured to communicate downstream via thefirst radio access technology network infrastructure; a second receivermodule configured to communicate downstream via the second radio accesstechnology network infrastructure; and a controller module coupled toeach of the first transmitter module, the second transmitter module, thefirst receiver module and the second receiver module, the controllermodule configured to enable upstream communication with the first radioaccess technology network infrastructure via the first transmittermodule while both disabling the downstream communication with the firstradio access technology network infrastructure by disabling the firstreceiver module and enabling downstream communication with the firstradio access technology network infrastructure via the second radioaccess technology network infrastructure by enabling the second receivermodule, such downstream communication via the second receiver modulebeing supported via backhaul interchanges between the first radio accesstechnology network infrastructure and the second radio access technologynetwork infrastructure.
 2. The wireless communication device of claim 1,wherein the downstream communication via the second receiver module isfurther supported by an intermediate node.
 3. The wireless communicationdevice of claim 1, further comprising a power control module configuredto set the first receiver module and the second transmitter module to alow power state.
 4. The wireless communication device of claim 1,wherein the controller module is configured to generate acknowledgementsignals for signals received from the downstream communication via thesecond receiver module, and cause the acknowledgement signals to betransmitted into the upstream communication via the first transmittermodule.
 5. A wireless communication device supported by a wirelesscommunication environment, the wireless communication device comprising:a first transmitter module configured to transmit signals to thewireless communication environment using a first radio accesstechnology; a first receiver module configured to receive signals fromthe wireless communication environment using the first radio accesstechnology; a second transmitter module configured to transmit signalsto the wireless communication environment using a second radio accesstechnology; and a multi-RAT coordination module configured to set, as acommunication scheme for communicating with another wirelesscommunication device, one of a single radio access technologycommunication scheme, a half-duplex multiple radio access technologycommunication scheme, or a full-duplex multiple radio access technologycommunication scheme, wherein, in the half-duplex multiple radio accesstechnology communication scheme, the wireless communication devicetransmits signals with only the second transmitter module using thesecond radio access technology and receives signals with the firstreceiver module using the first radio access technology.
 6. The wirelesscommunication device of claim 5, wherein the multi-RAT coordinationmodule is configured to set the communication scheme based on at leastone parameter, including channel conditions, traffic, data type, datapriority, power consumption, and cost.
 7. The wireless communicationdevice of claim 6, wherein the multi-RAT coordination module isconfigured to, after selecting the full-duplex multiple radio accesstechnology communication scheme, set one of standard communication,redundant communication, or cross-RAT channel bonding communication forcommunicating with another wireless communication device based on the atleast one parameter.
 8. The wireless communication device of claim 6,wherein the multi-RAT coordination module is configured to switch froma. current communication scheme to a new communication scheme based onthe at least one parameter, and wherein the multi-RAT coordinationmodule is configured to generate a notification signal for notifying theother wireless communication device of the communication scheme switchand transmit the notification signal using the new communication scheme.9. The wireless communication device of claim 5, further comprising asecond receiver module configured to receive signals from the wirelesscommunication environment using the second radio access technology; anda power control module configured to set inactive transmitter modules ofthe first transmitter module and the second transmitter module to a lowpower state based on the set communication scheme, and configured tomaintain the first receiver module and the second receiver module in ahigh-power state regardless of the set communication scheme.
 10. Thewireless communication device of claim 5, wherein the multi-RATcoordination module sets the communication scheme based at least in parton information received from a server.
 11. The wireless communicationdevice of claim 10, wherein the multi-RAT coordination module sets thecommunication scheme based on an instruction received from the server.12. The wireless communication device of claim 5, further comprising ahardwire communication terminal, wherein the multi-RAT coordinationmodule is capable of also setting, as the communication scheme, ahalf-duplex wired communication scheme that uses the hardwirecommunication terminal fir either uplink or downlink communication or afull-duplex wired communication scheme that uses the hardwirecommunication terminal for both uplink and downlink communication. 13.The wireless communication device of claim 5, wherein, in thefull-duplex multiple radio access technology communication scheme, thewireless communication device transmits signals with the firsttransmitter module using the first radio access technology and with thesecond transmitter module using the second radio access technology, andreceives signals with the first receiver module using the first radioaccess technology.
 14. A wireless communication device supported by awireless communication environment, the wireless communication devicecomprising: a first receiver module configured to receive signals fromthe wireless communication environment using a first radio accesstechnology; a first transmitter module configured to transmit signals tothe wireless communication environment using the first radio accesstechnology; a second receiver module configured to receive signals fromthe wireless communication environment using the second radio accesstechnology; a second transmitter module configured to transmit signalsto the wireless communication environment using a second radio accesstechnology; and a multi-RAT coordination module that includes: aselection module configured to select a communication scheme based on atleast one parameter; and a controller module configured to forwardinformation to both the first transmitter module and the secondtransmitter module for cooperative transmission, or receive informationfrom both the first receiver module and the second receiver module incooperative reception, wherein the selection module is configured to seta redundant communication scheme as the communication scheme, andwherein, based on the redundant communication scheme, the controllermodule causes a signal to be transmitted by both the first transmittermodule and the second transmitter module.
 15. A wireless communicationdevice supported by a wireless communication environment, the wirelesscommunication device comprising: a first receiver module configured toreceive signals from the wireless communication environment using afirst radio access technology; a first transmitter module configured totransmit signals to the wireless communication environment using thefirst radio access technology; a second receiver module configured toreceive signals from the wireless communication environment using thesecond radio access technology; a second transmitter module configuredto transmit signals to the wireless communication environment using asecond radio access technology; a reconstruction module; and a multi-RATcoordination module that includes: a selection module configured toselect a communication scheme based on at least one parameter; and acontroller module configured to forward information to both the firsttransmitter module and the second transmitter module for cooperativetransmission, or receive information from both the first receiver moduleand the second receiver module in cooperative reception, wherein theselection module is configured to set a redundant communication schemeas the communication scheme, wherein, based on the redundantcommunication scheme, the controller module is configured to receive afirst signal from the first receiver module and receives a second signalfrom the second receiver module, and to forward the first signal and thesecond signal to the reconstruction module, and wherein thereconstruction module is configured to correlate the first signal withthe second signal and to generate a reconstructed signal by performingbit error correction on the first signal based on the second signal andthe correlation.
 16. The wireless communication device of claim 15,wherein the reconstruction module is configured to check an accuracy ofthe reconstructed signal and report success or failure of thereconstruction to the controller module, and wherein, if thereconstruction module reports reconstruction failure to the controllermodule, the controller module is configured to generate a repeat requestsignal for requesting that the received first signal and second signalbe retransmitted to the wireless communication device.
 17. A wirelesscommunication device supported by a wireless communication environment,the wireless communication device comprising: a first receiver moduleconfigured to receive signals from the wireless communicationenvironment using a first radio access technology; a first transmittermodule configured to transmit signals to the wireless communicationenvironment using the first radio access technology; a second receivermodule configured to receive signals from the wireless communicationenvironment using the second radio access technology; a secondtransmitter module configured to transmit signals to the wirelesscommunication environment using a second radio access technology; and amulti-RAT coordination module that includes: a selection moduleconfigured to select a communication scheme based on at least oneparameter; and a controller module configured to forward information toboth the first transmitter module and the second transmitter module forcooperative transmission, or receive information from both the firstreceiver module and the second receiver module in cooperative reception,wherein the selection module is configured to set a cross-RAT channelbonding communication scheme as the communication scheme and sets areconstruction scheme associated with the set communication scheme, andwherein the reconstruction scheme defines how a signal is to bedestructed and reconstructed.
 18. The wireless communication device ofclaim 17, wherein the controller module is configured to, based on thecross-RAT channel bonding communication scheme, divide the signal into aplurality of first portions and a plurality of second portions based onthe reconstruction scheme, and to forward the first portions to thefirst transmitter module for transmission using the first radio accesstechnology and to forward the second portions to the second transmittermodule for transmission using the second radio access technology. 19.The wireless communication device of claim 17, further comprising areconstruction module, wherein the controller module is configured to,based on the cross-RAT channel bonding communication scheme, receive aplurality of first signal portions from the first receiver module andreceive a plurality of second signal portions from the second receivermodule, and forward die received first signal portions and second signalportions to the reconstructions module, and wherein the reconstructionmodule is configured to reconstruct the signal from the first signalportions and the second signal portions based on the reconstructionscheme.
 20. The wireless communication device of claim 19, wherein thereconstruction scheme indicates that a position of each signal portionwithin the reconstructed signal is identified by an identificationnumber associated with each signal portion, and wherein thereconstruction module is configured to, based on the reconstructionscheme, reconstruct the signal by determining identification numbersassociated with each received signal portion, and organizing thereceived signal portions in order of their corresponding identificationnumbers.